Series

Literature & Film in Lockdown

Literary accounts teach us that plagues and pandemics have recurred sporadically throughout human history, that sooner or later, they pass; that the timing of their passing is maddeningly unknowable; and that in the meantime, people must come up with strategies to psychologically navigate the strange, silent waters of life in lockdown. In our time together in this enrichment program, we will discover how we might navigate our own COVID-19 pandemic by looking to literature and film with plague or isolation as themes. This four-week program will give you the opportunity to view prerecorded 5-minute videos, participate in a weekly online meeting on Wednesdays at 1 pm EDT, and to join an online discussion forum. The weekly topics will be:

• Wednesday, June 17: Introduction - Literature and Plague
• Wednesday, June 24: Boccaccio, "The Decameron" (Introduction and the First Story)
• Wednesday, July 1: Hitchcock, "Rear Window" (film)
• Wednesday, July 8: Camus, "The Plague"

Partners for the Kylemore Book Club include  Kylemore Abbey Global Centre, Keough Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, ND International, the College of Arts & Letters, the Keough School of Global Affairs, ND Learning, and the Notre Dame Alumni Association.  To read more about this partnership, please read the announcement.